


Not As It Seems XXIX

by eliniel



Series: Wondrous Tails 2020 [6]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Fluff, movie date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23771566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel
Summary: Emet-Selch decides to take the Warrior of Light to a different shard and show her something new.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Series: Wondrous Tails 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686646
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	Not As It Seems XXIX

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Crystal as always for proofreading <3 
> 
> Prompts for Wondrous Tails: Day off, Movie Date.

“Would you like to go somewhere today, my hero?” 

I hummed, a smile forming on my lips as we lazed about in bed, somewhere between the realm of dozing and awakening. The Ascian’s hand gently toyed with my hair as my fingernails lazily trailed along his bare torso. 

“Another day off?” I asked, voice still thick with sleep. He chuckled, my head bouncing as his chest shook. I stilled my hand, splaying it flat against his stomach as I lifted my head from where it lay and rested my chin there instead. 

“And why not?” He quirked a brow down to me. “It  _ is _ the end of the week.” 

I heaved a histrionic sigh and laid my head back down. His hand fell from my hair and tightened around me, pulling me closer to him. I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck. 

“Monsters don’t take days off,” I argued, words muffled by his skin. 

“Let the other adventurers have a turn,” he insisted. “Surely they can handle a day without you.”

I pursed my lips as I considered his request. He  _ was _ right, of course. And the Scions were still working on the leads to the next Lightwarden…

“Alright,” I agreed. “What did you have in mind?”

“Ah, ah,” he chided me, softly and I whined my displeasure. He breathed another laugh. “You can’t expect me to give away all my secrets, Warrior of Light.”

“ _ All _ your secrets? You  _ never _ tell me.”

“I promise you,” he started. “This one will be unlike anything you have ever seen before.” I huffed. 

“Another shard?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.” My arm wrapped around his waist. “But we’re staying in bed for a while longer.” He hummed, shifting so that he could lie on his side, facing me. His other arm wound around my back as he tucked me under his chin.

“I would enjoy nothing more,” he murmured into my hair as I relaxed into the warmth of his body. 

A while later, after we managed to drag ourselves out of bed and eat a hastily made breakfast, I pulled him to the bathing room with me, where we enjoyed a nice, long shower. 

“What should I wear?” I asked as I sat before my vanity, wearing nothing but a towel as I combed through my wet hair. Emet-Selch stepped up behind me, his own towel hanging from his hips. I lowered my brush to the counter as he bent down, loosely wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing a kiss to my temple. 

“I’ve already chosen,” he breathed into my ear as I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. My lips curled up into a coy grin.

“What else is new?” I opened my eyes again, watching him through the mirror as he smiled and stood straight once more. 

With a snap of his fingers, my towel disappeared. In its place was a pair of blue shorts made of some kind of thick, rough material, a soft, loose-fitting shirt with a hanging neckline, thigh-high stockings that matched the color of the top, and a pair of impractical, heeled boots.

I looked at myself in the mirror again, looking at the design on the shirt. 

I furrowed my brow as I ran my fingertips overtop of it.

It was  _ clearly _ a chocobo, but it wasn’t embroidered or…

“The residents of the ninth shard refer to it as a  _ t-shirt _ ,” the Ascian explained when he saw my confusion. “And they have machines that can  _ print _ a design onto it instead of sewing it in.” 

I tilted my head, continuing to examine it with fascination.

“Machines...like Magitek?” He chuckled.

“I suppose you could think of it like that,” he started. “Garleans use Magitek to make their lives easier since they are unable to wield magic. The same goes for the inhabitants of this shard, yes.” 

“And the shorts are...?”

“They are made of a material they call  _ denim _ ,” he answered. 

“You know quite a lot about this shard,” I mused as he snapped his fingers once more to dry my hair. Half of it pulled back on its own and braided down my back as the rest of it stayed loose. With it, my cheeks and eyes were tinged with color, my lips glossy and shimmering in the light, and my fingernails painted black. 

A series of bracelets also appeared on my wrists and a simple black choker around my throat.

“As I must. Even though I was tasked with preparing the Source for each calamity, and even though time passes so quickly, it was still worth my time to understand the inner-workings of each shard.”

I examined myself closely in the mirror and shrugged a shoulder but didn’t respond as I swiped the tip of my thumb across the bottom of my lip, evening out the makeup he had just put on me.

I didn’t particularly  _ want _ to think about the Ascian side of him. Not today, at least.

When I turned to look at him, he was wearing long, black pants, though they seemed to be made of the same material as my shorts. His shirt seemed to also be similar, though the red glyph he had presented to me on the day we had met was superimposed onto his chest and where mine was loose, his was fitted to show off his muscular body. 

My eyes dragged up his body as I continued to marvel, my teeth immediately biting down on my bottom lip.

“Enjoying the view, hero?” he teased. My gaze shot to his as he ran his fingers through his hand, magically slicking it back. The amused grin he had on his face made my cheeks flush and I released my lip.

“No,” I mumbled stubbornly, quickly averting my eyes. He chuckled and bent down, hand gently tugging on my elbow and coaxing me to stand. 

“One final touch,” he insisted. 

When I had stood, he held out an open jacket that had been hanging over his arm. I let him slip it onto my shoulders and turned back for one final inspection. 

Emet-Selch lifted his hand to his chin, the other reaching behind him to pull something out of his back pocket. 

A pair of sunglasses. 

He unfolded them and laid them on the crown of my head, the frames fitting snugly behind my ears. I raised a brow at him and he shrugged. 

“You have to look the part if you’re going to fit in.” One side of my mouth pulled upwards.

“I just think you enjoy dressing me up.”

“And you don’t?” I breathed a laugh through my nose.

“Perhaps.” 

His fingers found my chin and tilted my head up. He searched my eyes for a long moment before leaning in and pressing a small, quick kiss to my nose. 

“Good,” he murmured, then stood straight. He released my chin and held the same hand out to me. “Ready?” My smile widened as I slid my fingers into his palm with a nod.

“Let’s go.”

I stepped through his portal and into a dark alleyway. He followed a moment later, twined his fingers with mine and pulled me out onto a busy sidewalk. I squinted in the light of the early afternoon sun and lowered my sunglasses with my free hand.

“Are we going to get lunch first?” I inquired, pressing myself closer to him to avoid running into someone else.

“We’ll eat at the theater.” I perked up at the hint.

“Another show?”

“In a sense,” he answered with a nod. “We’re going to see what these mortals call a  _ movie _ .”

“Mo...vie,” I repeated, slowly. “What is it?” He huffed a laugh, a smirk spreading across his lips.

“Patience, hero. You’ll see soon.”

We approached a large building just a few minutes later, though when I took a quick look around, I realized the outside was quite plain compared to the others he had brought me to. No statues, no polished wood or marble staircases. No opulence of any sort- just plan, white brick.

Whatever this  _ movie _ thing was, it didn’t seem to be as glamorous as the events he’d taken me to before. Though…

I peered down at my outfit. 

Neither did the clothes. 

As we made our way to the doors, I noticed a giant paved lot filled with the vehicles I remembered he had once called  _ cars. _

“This is something anyone can do,” I observed. “Something casual and… I’m guessing fun, judging by how many vehicles are here.”

“That’s right.” His hand squeezed mine for a moment before releasing it and took large strides ahead of me to open the glass door. 

“But this is also something we don’t have on the Source,” I concluded as I inclined my head in thanks. “So it must be something…”

I glanced into the building. My eyes widened and immediately, I forgot what I had been about to say. 

The lobby was large and full of people bustling about. Some were heading down one of two large hallways, others standing in line in front of a large counter, reading off of brightly-lit screens with text that I wasn’t able to read. 

“Spectacular?” Emet-Selch finished for me. I blinked as he lifted one finger to my chin, pushing it up so that my mouth wasn’t hanging open any longer. “This isn’t even the main event, Warrior of Light. Do try to fit in.”

His hand went to the small of my back and he nudged me forward as he pulled two small pieces of paper out of his pocket with the other hand. He handed them to the host that stood ahead of us, who tore them in half and pointed us towards the hallway we needed to head down. 

Next, we got in a short line in front of the counter. 

I watched curiously as the Ascian ordered the food I could see behind glass barriers and when we received all of it in full, he handed the drinks off to me and nodded his head in the direction we were supposed to go.

I blinked when we entered the theater, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. I was surprised at just how  _ large _ the room was, and how many chairs it contained, each one large and cushioned, though nearly all of them were empty.

“It’s better to get here early,” he said, turning to head up the small staircase. “Seats are first-come, first-serve, as they say.” He paused about halfway up, looking towards the giant grey curtain hanging at the front of the room, and then proceeded to walk down the aisle. 

He sat us down in the middle and I came to the realization that he had been judging the distance between us and the front of the room. 

Optimal seating, it seemed.

We settled into the chairs and I sat the drinks down into the circular cut-out in the arm of the chair, then watched as he rested the large, paper bucket of food he’d bought into his lap.

“This is called popcorn,” he explained, holding up a small piece to show me. He motioned for me to hold out my hand. When I did, he dropped a few bits into my outstretched palm. I one up and inspected it closely before laying it on my tongue. “All it is is dried corn kernels that are heated in oil until they  _ pop _ .”

“Hence the name, I assume.” 

“Mm,” he hummed. “There are many toppings for them, but theaters such as this generally serve them with salt and butter.” He sat back in his seat. “I wouldn’t call it a  _ delicacy _ , but the inhabitants here seem to enjoy it quite a bit.”

I nodded and slumped back myself, listening as he continued on to tell me about the drinks and sweets he had chosen. 

After a few more groups of people trickled in, the lights dimmed even further and I saw him grin out of the corner of my eye. I raised a brow.

“Now…” he said, voice barely above a whisper. 

The large screen that hung in front of us suddenly came to life. 

Pictures- colorful, moving pictures began playing on the screen. I jumped in my chair, biting back a cry of surprise as a loud, disembodied voice told me to mind the exits at the front of the theater and to make sure to turn off my cell...phone?

Next to me, the Ascian was chuckling quietly at my reaction. I shot him a glare and he coughed in a poor attempt to mask his amusement. 

The living images on the screen changed- a city, cars moving at what seemed to be a reckless pace, explosions that seemed so real I could hear my heart pounding in my ears and I wanted to duck down and cover my head to avoid getting hurt.

Emet-Selch placed a hand on my trembling knee to steady it, rubbing my skin through the stocking with his thumb.

“Relax, hero,” he cooed in a whisper. “None of it is real.” 

The screen shifted again. Softer, this time. Two lovers…

“What is-,” I started, eyes roving wildly across the screen. “I don’t understand.”

He removed his drink from where it sat, moving it to his other side, then nudged the armrest between us up with his elbow and slid his arm behind my back, pulling me into his side. 

“A movie,” he explained, quietly. “Is...almost like a book you can  _ see. _ Like a play that is recorded while it is performed and released in theaters like these so that they can be shared with anyone.”

My brow furrowed. I wasn’t entirely sure I understood what his words meant, but I  _ did _ know what a play was.

“Just sit back and enjoy the story,” he murmured into my ear, nuzzling my head with his nose. “Nothing here will do you harm.” 

I pursed my lips for a moment, but released a deep breath with a nod, letting the tension in my muscles go. 

When I had relaxed again, his free hand gently clasped one of mine, running his thumb along my knuckles. I settled into him and he rested his arm across my shoulders.

The show he had brought me to turned out to be some sort of fantasy, full of magic-wielding wizards and giant dragons. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities to the Source, though many things seemed so ridiculous I was beginning to think he had brought me to a comedy, instead. 

Once it had ended and we’d followed suit with the other people in attendance, dropping our empty food containers into the large bins on the sides of the theater, we exited the building.

He suggested we grab a quick dinner instead of cooking. When I agreed, he began guiding me back down the sidewalk, in the same direction we had come in.

I folded my arms behind my back as we walked, eyes glued to the ground as I kicked a rock down the path, still trying to wrap my mind around what I had just seen. 

“You’re very quiet, hero,” he commented. “Are you  _ that _ disappointed?” My head shot up and found him watching me with a raised brow.

“N-no,” I stuttered. “It was just…”

“Not what you were expecting?” I breathed a laugh.

“I’ve come to not  _ expect _ when it comes to you,” I admitted. “The things you show me tend to…” I paused, unsure of how to continue. He hummed in response, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants as he averted his eyes, scanning the names of the various buildings we were passing in search of food. 

“But,” I continued. “It’s nice to see and...be able to experience customs of a people not my own.” I breathed a giggle. “Even if it seems out of the realm of possibility.”

I closed the distance between us as we continued to walk, nudging him with my elbow. He rolled his eyes as a smile spread across his lips. 

“I had a good time,” I insisted as he held his elbow out to me. I unfolded my arms and slid one through his. “But is that really what they think of worlds like ours?” I clicked my tongue, turning my nose up in faux annoyance. He looked down at me, expression full of curiosity. “Absolutely unrealistic.”

“To be quite fair,” he started. “The inhabitants of this star are quite unaware of such worlds existing.”

I hummed in understanding but shrugged my shoulders.

“That  _ is _ right, I suppose,” I agreed. “But, I still found it hard not to laugh throughout a good portion of it.”

He chuckled and shook his head as we came to a stop in front of a restaurant. 

“Really, Warrior of Light, I show you the wonders of the universe and you still have complaints? Well,” he laughed. “I suppose I shall endeavor to do better from now on so that you are  _ speechless _ from now on.” 

I tilted my head, grinning smugly as he pushed open the door, a soft bell  _ jingling _ to inform the employees that a customer had arrived.

“Good luck.”


End file.
